THE MEANING PRONUNCIATION AND NAMES OF THE ORIGINAL 214 CHINESE RADICALS
Notes about this list:
1. Not all radicals have a specific pronunciation as they are not always used, as is, as a character for every day use. In this list an effort has been made to give at least a “name” if not the pronunciation, to each radical. This should be kept well in mind. The information and the spelling in the case of Cantonese is based upon information in the Yale romanisation found in the Chinese – English Dictionary of The Chinese University Press ISBN 962-201-922-6 and is the origin of the notes regarding equivalents in Mandarin. Hence you may find the spelling in this list differs from other authorities.
2. While each radical has a meaning, it also has implied meanings.
Where these exist they are sometimes listed on a second line.
3. With the advent of the simplified characters, the numbering in Radical charts does not always agree with the Traditional listings owing to the simplified radicals having a lesser stroke count. To accommodate international use the numbers in this list agree with the original Traditional character listings. The chart of simplified characters is listed accordingly for cross checking and will not agree with some dictionaries.
Number
Radical MeaningBasis Your observationsMandarin/Cantonese
1. One (1)one fingeryi / yat
2. Downstrokenatural
3. dotnaturaltian / tin
4. left strokenatural
5. duplicate, secondstwo strokes
6. down stroke
7.two(2)two fingerser / yi
8. lidpicture of
9.persons, mankindtwo legs walkingren / yan
10 legs, child alternative drawing er / yih
11. enter two rivers joining ru /yap
12. eight(8) ba- / baat
13. upside down box, restrict,natural/
14.crown, roof, covernaturalrong/yung
15. icecompare 85 water/
16. tablenaturalji/gei
17. open box’ receptaclenatural
18.blade, cut, knifechopper likedao/dou
19. power flexing arm li / lihk
20. wrapping, containthumb & finger/
21.spoon ladle, measure naturalbi / bei
22.box on sidenatural
23. enclosureboundary lines
Radical MeaningBasis Your observations Mandarin/Cantonese
24.ten (10)digit cancelledshi `/ sahp
25.predict, divineholding a divining rodbu / buk
26. seal, to containflap/
27.cliff, ledge, hidenatural
28. myself, privatea nose?/
29.again, &, repeatmarked and crossedye / yauh
30. mouth, portnaturalkou/ hau
31. enclosure, boundarynatural
32. ground, earthon flat groundtu~/ tou
33.knight, officerwell armedshi / sih
34. step, advancewalking /
35.walk slowlylonger steps
36. evening, nightsun downxi / jihk
37 big arms extendedda /aaih
38. femalewoman at tablenuu /neuih
39. child, small itemon mothers backzi / ji
40. roof, shaped crownnatural/
41. inch, small measurethumbcun /chyun
42. smallhands together comp. 37 bigxiao / siu
43. mistake, without,lame
44. corpsegrave markershi /si
45. station, setblades of grass tun/jeun
46. mountainthree peaksshan /saan
47. riverwater flowinghuan/chuyn
48. workwork benchgong /gung
49. self, snakenaturalji~ /gei
50. a clothon a railjin /gan
51. offend, shield, drain, dry gan /gon
52. tiny, small, childbound up yao /yiu
53. dotted cliffnatural /
54. move on, extend,step step /
55. twenty2 crossesyah /nian
56. sword, dartcutlass typeyi /yihk
57. bow(weapon)bendclassical shapegong /gung
58. broom, a handbristles, fingers /
59. short hair
60. step/pacea man’s stepchi /chik
61. heart, mindhand on the heartxin / sam
Radical MeaningBasis Your observations Mandarin/Cantonese
62. arms/weaponssword with additionsge/gwoh
63. doornaturalhu/wuh
64. handarm with fingers extendedshou /sau
65. prop, support, bracenaturalzhi /ji
66. gather, draw together /
67. written languagedesk or table wen /mahn
68.measure, amountset of balancesdou /dau
69. pound in weight,axejin /gan
70.direction, square, area running?fang /fong
71. not, without, negativewu /mouh
72.sun, day, lighthieroglyph:circle with dotri / yaht
73.talk,saywagging tongue in a mouthyue /yuht
74 .moon, monthsunsrays reflecting from moonyue / yuht
(unusual but frequent use) flesh, body parts
75 .tree, wood, timbernaturalmu / uhk
76.lack, owe, losea lost arrowqian /him
77. stophand up & outzhi / chi
78. bad, evil, viciousdai /daai
79. kill, kind of weapon shu /syuh
80. mothermothers breastswu /mouh
81.than, to comparespoon measurebi / bei
82. hairanimal’s tailmao /mouh
83. family name zhi /sih
84. spirit, air,gaswind over a cliffnai / aaih
85.water, fluid in general(see abbrv. Version) water drops shui / seui
86. fire, heatasending flames of a firehuo / fo
87. claw, animal like 3 nailed pawzhua / jaau
88. fatherfather’s face– moustache likefu\ / fuh
89. side
90.wall or side surface
91. strip, slice,sidearm and legpian /pin
92. fang, toothanimal likeya /ngah
93. cow, domestic beastmissing a hornniu /ngauh
94. dog, small animal(see side radical –begging)quan / hyun
95. dark obscureunder the lidhuan /yuhn
96. king/jewelAll over the ground, superior ang/wohng
97. melonstriped apperancegua- /gwa
98. tileinterlocking ceramicswa /ngah
99. sweetpot contentsgan /gam
100.life, bear, existcow giving birthsheng /sang
Radical MeaningBasis Your observationsMandarin/Cantonese
101.useland is put to useyong / yung
102. field, area, zonehedged area tian / tihn
103.roll of cloth, step, advancepi / pat
104. sicknessrestrictedding /ding
105. dotted tent, back to backgui/gwai
106.white, clear, pure pointing to the sunbai / baahk
107. skin, coveringpi/peih
108. dishdish rackmin /mihng
109.eye, apertureeye with pupil turned 90dg.mu /muhk
110. halberg, lance pole with point and choppermao /maauh
111.arrow, dispatch, sendpoint and tail feathershi /chi
112. stone pebblesomething round in handshi /sehk
113.reveal, show (god)shi /sih
114. track, step
115. growing grain`flower on treehe /woh
116.empty, space, hole, caveroof overxue / yuht
117.stand, to standstanding,support li /lahp
118.bambooflowering stalkszhu / juk
119.rice, food, mealssheaf of grain mi /maih
120. thread, silkmi /mihk
121.hill, earthenwarecow on mountain top? fou / fau
122. a netenclosed meshlikehan /hon
123. sheep two horned beastyang /yeuhng
124.wing feather, bird kind wing like yu~ /yuh
125. age, experiencedigging into groundlao / louh
126. but, yet, ander / yih
127. a ploughwooden share in groundlei /loih
128.ear, hearing, side door ear like shape/lobe er / yih
129. brush, pencilhand holding a bamboo rod yu /wat
130. flesh, body partshanging side of beefrou / yuhk
131.sujects, subjugate (I)chen /sahn
132. self, I, alone,finger to eye(Orntl gesture)zi /jih
133.until, reach, arrivewith ground/pointzhi / jih
134 .a mortarcontainerjiu /kauh
135 tongue, speech, active protruding from mouthshe /siht
136. oppose,dancingchuan /chyun
137. shipsails set on mastzhou /jau
Radical MeaningBasis Your observations Mandarin/Cantonese
138. straight , wellgen /gan
139. colourse / sik
140. grass, herbs ai,yi/ngaaih
141.tigerhu /fu
142. insect
143. bloodcaught in a dishxue / hyut
144.go, perform, dostep to a placexing /hahng
145.clothingyi/yi
146. westbirds in nest at s/sxi/sai
147.see, comprehendman’s eyejian / gin
148. horn/cornercutting placejiao / gok
149. say, speechbreath out of mouthyan / yihn
150. valleywater shedgu~ /guk
151. bean, small itemsdou /dau
152. piganimal like see dogshi / chi
153. badger, reptilesmall animal /stripes zhi /jih
154.shell money, valueconch type shellbei /bui
155. red,naked, babyground likechi /chik
156. walk, run foot to groundzou /jau
157. leg, foot, enoughleg/knee,footzu/ /tsuk
158.body, physical partsshen /san
159.vehicletwo wheeled cartche / che
160. hard, bitter standing onxin /san
161. celestial, time chen /sahn
162. round about, advance, run yu /yu
163.city,place, districtown peopleyi / yap
164bottlebottle with contentsyou /yauh
165. collect, pickhand on plantcai / choi
166.hometown, a distance, furlong field/groundli~ /leih
167.metal, money goldjin /gam
168.long, senior, chief, boss, head zhang/jeung
169. gates, passage, way, through double doors men / mun
170.hill, separate divided fu /fauh
171 possess, slaveli / daai
172. bird, birds, flight, wingzhui /jeui
173. rainrain drops on cityyu/ /yuh
174.blue, clear, clean, youngqing /cheng
175. un/not, prefix to negate closed doors?fei /fei
Radical MeaningBasis Your observationsMandarin/Cantonese 176. a face, surface, or side mian/mihn
177.leather, hidesComp. Bull ge / gaak
178. tanned leather wei/waih
179. vegetable, greens, leeks jiu / gau
180.soundsunrise coresyin / yam
181. pagelines on shellye /yihp
182. wind sailfeng /fung
183 fly, jumpfei/fei
184. eat, food, mealsgood for manshi/ /sihk
185. head,neck, main, chief, importantshou /sau
186. scent, popular, appetisingsun on the grain xiang /heung
187. horselegs tail manema /mah
188. bonehollow body partgu/ /gwat
189.high, expensive, gao /gou
190. long hairlong + locksmao /mouh
191. strife, strive, compete kings with sticks dou /dau
192. fragrant herbs hang/cheung
193. cauldronlid on pot li /lihk
194. spirit,demon, unseen power gui /gwai
195. fish,basic for all speciesnatural yu / yuh
196. bird, basic for all species eye, wing claws niao /niuh
197. salt lu /louh
198. deer lu /luhk
199.wheat mai /mahk
200. hemp & other ma /mah
201. yellowdry grass in field huang/wohng
202. millet shu /syu
203. blackburned off field hei /hak
204. sewing zhi / ji
205. green frogdoubled mouth-(croaking) min /mahn
206 .tripodspread legs ding /ding
207.drum gu /gu
208.mouse/ratshu /syu
209. nosedrawing of nose bi /beih
210. equal, uniformqi /chsai
211. teethteeth in mouth shapechi / chi
212. dragonlong /lung
213. tortoisebui /gwai
214. flute, instrumentfinger holesyue /yeuhk